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Cultural or linguistic diversity is not a disability
However, it can put children and families at risk for discrimination, bias, and reduced opportunities.
Diverse students educational outcomes and high rate of being identified as having disabilities.
Poverty places them at risk for being exposed to limited healthcare, homelessness, and attending low-quality schools.
When diverse students have disabilities
This is of high concern to the government and has been addressed in IDEA and its annual reports to Congress.
Schools must address and pay attention to the specific learning characteristics and needs of these students.
The government provides extra funding to assist schools serving students with and without disabilities who live in poverty.
When disability is compounded by diversity, the educational system’s response should be truly special.
Where we’ve been…
America is a nation founded in diversity.Since its beginning the face of the U.S. has been one
of perpetual change.America’s school children are diverse in many
different ways.The languages, beliefs, and traditions they bring
school represent cultures from all over the world.
What’s on the horizon
Their heterogeneity is marked along languages, values, religions, perspectives, priorities, and cultures.
Creating appropriate educational opportunities where instruction is effective for every student is a challenge faced by every classroom today.
The U.S. is clearly a multicultural country
We must judge ourselves in terms of What we do with our diversity How we treat each other How we understand each other’s similarities and differences,
and How we learn from one another.
Historical Context
Education in the U.S. has faced issues of bilingualism and multiculturalism throughout its history.
During WWI, people looked inward and fostered “Americanization”, the idea that the US. Should become a “melting pot”.
But this model failed and led to racism, segregation, poverty and aggression.
Cultural Pluralism
A new model emerged by the late 1960s called cultural pluralism.
It is the idea that people should not abandon their home culture.
Legal Aspects
Some students with diverse backgrounds came to be labeled as having mental retardation.
Diana v. State Board of Education found that using IQ tests to identify Hispanic students was discriminatory.
Larry P. v. Riles revealed the overrepresentation of African American children with mental retardation.
Lau v. Nichols -schools must offer services to help students overcome language barriers.
Language is a Continuing Issue
In Phyler v. Doe, it was found that Mexican nationals living in Texas had a right to a free public school education.
However, in Proposition 187 in California, the prohibited undocumented immigrants from receiving a free public education, and was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court.
Bilingual education is actually now allowed in every state in the nation.
Challenges that Diversity Presents
There are a number of factors that put these students at risk. Disproportionately, these students: Are poor Have limited access to health care Are homeless Live migrant lives
Challenges that Diversity Presents (Con’t.)
Attend inferior schools. Have learning styles and
experiences at variance with schools.
Experience school failure Are more likely to be identified as
having a disability. Struggle with English language
acquisition. Drop out of school.
In this presentation, you will learn that:
Most diverse students do not have disabilities but have special needs attributable to their diversity.
You will learn about the risk factors, but you will see that their outcomes are quite promising.
Quality education can and does make a difference.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Defined
Students who are considered “historically underrepresented” in the U.S. are those students who fall into one of these federal categories. They are often referred to as minorities: African American Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native.
Generally, three groups of students are thought of as diverse:
Culturally diverse students
Linguistically diverseAnd culturally and
linguistically diverse students with disabilities.
Cultural Diversity
Students who come from backgrounds different from American mainstream society are thought of as culturally diverse.
Students at risk of being identified as having a disability because of misunderstandings of culturally accepted behaviors and norms of conduct.
Linguistic Diversity
Individuals whose home language is other than English are referred to as linguistically diverse.
Most educational professionals use the term English language learners (ELLs).
Limited English Proficient (ELP) is the term used in IDEA.
The majority of ELLs speak Spanish and represent the most rapidly growing segment of the U.S. student population.
Diversity and Disability
Culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities are a third subgroup of diverse learners.
Diverse students, like all others, have disabilities, and their diversity can affect their disability in many different ways.
It is important to remember that they are particularly vulnerable.
Although their diversity can and should be enriching, it can also result in additional challenges that negatively affect school success.
Characteristics
Many of their circumstances are situational.
These students are often confusing to educators.
Teachers misinterpret a difference as a problem or disability.
Teachers should try to understand that these differences may be addressed through a change in teaching approach or an accommodation.
Three areas that present difficulties to diverse learners and their teachers:
Language differences and language disorders.
Clashes between home and school cultures.
Behavioral differences, behavioral disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
Language
It is not always easy to tell a speech or language impairment from a language difference.
Some children may speak forms of a language that vary from its literate or standard form. This may simply be an accent.
Detecting the differences among language impairments, learning disabilities, and language differences can be difficult, even for well-trained professionals.
They must look to see if the impairment occurs in both languages.
Code Switching
Referred to when students use both English and their home language within the same communication.
It is not a disorder.It is a way for people to achieve mastery of two
languages.It is a sign that dual language proficiency is
developing.
Ebonics as a Dialect
Spoken by many African Americans, its use at school is considered inappropriate. Students must learn to “switch codes.”
Many African American leaders believe that schools must teach standard English yet celebrate student diversity and ability to communicate effectively in a variety of settings.
Cultural Comprehension
Children come to school with a good understanding of the norms of their home cultures.
Once students start school, however, the rules of home may not match the rules of school.
Parents and students must learn a new culture, the one of schooling
A Few Cultural Terms
Culturally competent – knowing and understanding the cultural standards from diverse communities.
Culturally responsive – A curriculum that includes multiple perspectives.
Cross-cultural dissonance – Mismatch that occurs when the home and school cultures are in conflict.
Competitive vs. Cooperative Learning
Competition pervades American learning.
However, many Native, Asian, and Latino cultures find cooperation is more valuable.
Such students may learn more readily when assigned to cooperative learning groups.
Caught Between Two Cultures
Describes the experience of many Native students who do not attend a tribal school.
Communication at home tends to be nonverbal and filled with nuances.
Adults at school can seem to talk too much, seek direct eye contact, and as inappropriately personal questions.
The result can be incorrect referrals to special education, misidentification as having a disability, and eventual dropout.
Behavior Leads to Special Education
Inappropriate behavior can begin the special education referral process.
Black males may be identified as having behavioral disorders because they may not comply with expectations at school and have trouble controlling their anger.
This also may explain why so many black youth are diagnosed with ADHD, particularly when tested by White teachers.
Cultural conflicts may also explain why culturally diverse students find themselves in trouble at school.
Classroom Management Problems
Some people tend to share while the dominant approach is that what is mine is mine.
This can lead to confusion, arguments and classroom management problems.
Most children must learn to sort out different behavioral expectations across a variety of settings.
Children must be taught to sort out the different behavioral expectations at school, home, and in the community.
Prevalence
The demographics of American students are changing – they reflect growing numbers of different immigrant groups.
National data about diversity and students must be interpreted carefully.
Not everyone fits neatly into the five categories used to describe ethnicities: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American.
Multiracial is not a category.And there is no distinction between first and multi-
generational.
Demographics
Common assumptions about the backgrounds of diverse individuals and where they live may well be wrong because population demographics are not static.
Generalizing about individuals who belong to a group can lead to mistakes.
Diverse Students
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 47.7 million students are enrolled in school: 1% American Indian 3.8% Asian/Pacific Islander 17.5% Hispanic 14.8% Black 62.9% White
“Minorities” are not the minority In California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico,
and Texas, minorities make of the majority population. They are not ELLs – less than a third of minorities.
Diverse Students with Disabilities
Breakdown of students receiving special education services: 62% White 20% Black 15% Hispanic 2% Asian/Pacific Islander 1% American Indian/Alaska Native
Over- and Underrepresentation of Diverse Students
Overrepresentation: if a group’s percentage in the general population is lower than its percentage in special education.
Underrepresentation – a group’s percentage in the general population is higher than it is in the special education population.
Disproportionate representation – any variance between a group’s representation in the general population and in one of these subgroups
African Americans and Asians
Blacks tend to be overrepresented in the mental retardation and emotional and behavioral disorders category.
Asians tend to be underrepresented in general.
Causes and Prevention
Clearly, diversity, poverty, and disabilities are related.It is important to understand how they are related,
and how they are not: Diversity does not cause disabilities. Poverty places students at substantial risk for disabilities. Not all diverse students are poor, although they are
disproportionately likely to be poor. (The majority of poor children are White).
Issues of cultural and linguistic diversity, along with poverty, are complex and intertwined. It is important not to oversimplify them.
Causes
There are several causes of disabilities: Some are genetic such as Fragile X Syndrome. Others are health related such as a virus that causes deafness. Environmental factors can cause disabilities such as toxins and
lead based paints.
Many situations can put our children at risk for disabilities and conditions that cause special needs.
Poverty
The link among childhood poverty, poor school outcomes, and disabilities is now clear and well documented.
Race and ethnicity are related to poverty (34% of Black and 29% of Hispanic children are poor; compared to only 9% of White children).
Far more poor students arrive at kindergarten already identified as having a disability.
Each Day in America
390 babies are born to mothers who received late or no prenatal care.
860 babies are born at low birth weight
1,186 babies are born to teen mothers
1,707 babies are born without health insurance
2,171 babies are born into poverty
Homelessness
Homeless children and those of immigrants and migrant workers often experience disruption and dislocation, which can adversely affect their physical, mental, and academic abilities.
These students are at high risk of fragmented education, absenteeism, and a likelihood of health problems.
Homelessness Con’t.
Being homeless is difficult for children.
The number of homeless families is on the rise.
46% of children living in one shelter had a disability, most common being emotional or behavioral disorders.
Because of the high percentage of homeless children who also have disabilities, IDEA pays special attention to them.
Prevention
How can disabilities in diverse children be prevented or avoided?
Remove risks of poverty by: Improving their access to health care. Guaranteeing universal vaccinations against disease. Ensuring safe living environments. Making parents aware of free medical services can serve
to prevent disabilities from occurring.
Overcoming Challenges
Three barriers to diverse students with special needs: Little or no access to high-quality preschool experiences. Attending inferior schools. Disengagement, alienation, and dropping out of school.
How Do We Improve the Situation?
Provide students with high-quality early education experiences.
Give them intensive and sustained instruction during their school years.
Make education relevant to them.
Anchor instructional content and activities to students’ culture and backgrounds.
Assessment
There are several reasons for testing students: To measure how well students are
doing on state standards. To get an indication of how a
student is learning the subject they are being taught.
To determine whether a student has a disability.
Early Identification
More culturally and linguistically diverse children come to kindergarten and first grade already identified as having disabilities and already having an IEP.
One likely explanation is poverty and limited access to health care.
Pre-Referral
General education and special education teachers work together to identify students who may need testing for services.
The hope is that this step will help avoid misidentifying diverse students as having disabilities.
Teams are formed that work to individualize instruction, create a special education identification process, and work collaboratively.
Identification
Differences in culture and in language contribute to some students being misidentified as having a disability.
Discrimination in the assessment process often occur. IDEA requires that nondiscriminatory testing be established in each state.
How to Remove Bias
By broadening the view found in standardized tests, one may be able to reduce the number of students unidentified when they need special education, and to be misidentified as needing special education. IDEA refers to this as nondiscriminatory testing.
Using multiple intelligences may help: Verbal Logical/mathematical Visual/spatial Musical Kinesthetic
Making High Stakes Testing More Fair
Provide early pre-referral intervention.
Develop assessment portfolios.Conduct assessments in the
student’s dominant language.Use interpreters if necessary.Use qualified personnel
competent in their own and the student’s language and familiar with the student’s culture.
Including Diverse Learners in High Stakes Testing
Native language accommodations: Have test passages in both English and native language. Provide questions in both languages. Accept answers in either language. Translate directions.
English language accommodations:
Read questions orally.
Explain the directions.
Simplify the test’s language.
Positive Outcomes of Including Diverse Learners in High Stakes Testing
High-stakes accountability has put pressure on schools to get their ELLs to learn English faster and earlier.
Learning problems are addressed early and intensively.
An atmosphere of high expectations is created.
Early Intervention
The Head Start program helps children get that extra help they need when compared with children from impoverished backgrounds.
This results in better academic outcomes, lower dropout rates, and fewer referrals to special education.
Teaching Diverse Students with Disabilities
Three critical components must be present in their education: It must be steeped in the practices
of multicultural education. It must include intensive support
for language development. It must incorporate the most
current evidence-based practices to address each student’s particular disabilities.
Multicultural Education
Who is it for? Everyone. All students benefit from learning about other
students and their home communities.Students whose home cultures are understood,
valued, and respected do not feel marginalized, rejected, or isolated.
Teachers who use multicultural education:
Connect instruction to students’ experiences and background by incorporating examples that celebrate diversity.
Understand differences between home and school cultures.
Avoid clashes resulting from differences of traditions of the home and those of school.
Provide assignments that come from many different sources, where the characters represent many different ethnicities.
Contextualized Instruction
Instruction that incorporates students’ cultures, interests, and backgrounds into course content.
Teachers can use contextualized instruction by teaching with examples from many American experiences.
Examples of Multicultural Education
Magazines such as Ebony, Essence, Canales, Latina, or Indian Country Today.
Groups such as ESL clubs, African American sororities and fraternities, Movimiento Esudiantil Chicano de Atzlan (MEChA), music, dance, and craft clubs.
Levels of English
Conversational English – Level of English mastery adequate for general communications but not necessarily for academic learning.
Classroom English – Level of English mastery required to access the general education curriculum and profit from instruction.
A few more terms
Bilingual education – Teaching in and seeking mastery of students’ native language and English.
English as a Second Language – Instructing students in English until English proficiency is achieved; does not provide support in the student’s native or primary language.
Sheltered English – Restating concepts and instructions, explicitly teaching vocabulary, using visuals, and concrete examples, and relating new language skills to students’ experiences to provide language support to ELLs
The law has been violated if:
Students cannot participate in instruction because they do not understand English.
They are assigned to Special Education due to lack of English skills.
They are not taught English as quickly as possible.
Parents receive notifications from the school in a language they do not understand (i.e. English).
Providing Language Supports for English Language Learners
Build vocabulary as an anchor to curriculum.
Use visuals to support vocabulary acquisition.
Implement cooperative learning and peer tutoring.
Use the native language strategically.
Adjust demands of expressive language
Validated practices - a few definitions
Cooperative learning – small groups of students working together to learn the same material.
Peer tutoring – Classmates helping each other in pairs.
Reciprocal teaching – a tactic where teachers and students switch roles reading stories and asking questions, and clarifying reading passages.
Some Key Features of Multicultural Education
Sensitivity to students’ home cultures.
High expectations for success.
Family and community involvement.
Support and inclusion.Accommodations.Individualized instructions.Documented results.
Technology
Digital divide – unequal availability to technology as a consequence of differences in socio-economic status.
Computerized language translators – very useful for teaching, completing writing assignments, and communicating with home.
Transition
Diverse students are underrepresented in postsecondary education and have a high rate of not completing college.
Diverse students with disabilities graduate from high school with a standard diploma at a much lower rate then their White peers with disabilities.
Collaboration
Different personnel come together to work with diverse students with disabilities.
They form a multi-disciplinary team that may include bilingual paraprofessionals. (classroom assistants fluent in at least two languages).
Partnerships with Families and Communities:
Develop an atmosphere of trust and respect.
Make families feel welcome at school.
Identify families’ preferred means of communication and use it effectively.
Communicate on a regular, on-going basis.
Use interpreters who are knowledgeable about schools, special education, and its programs.
Conclusion
Education should reflect the rich diversity of culture and language found across America.
Special education should capitalize on each student’s background as an appropriate individualized education program is created.
Many exceptional children are bilingual, and many more come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The combinations of disability, giftedness, cultural diversity, and ELL present many challenges to educators, as schools attempt to ensure that special education services are delivered to children who need and are entitled to them.
Discussion Questions
Please form five groups, and each group answer one of the following questions. We will share answers at the end. 1. What is meant by the term diverse? 2. How does poverty put many culturally and
linguistically diverse students at risk for low educational results and having disabilities?
3. What are the key features of multicultural education? 4. How can schools and teachers be more responsive to
English language learners? 5. What additional considerations do diverse students
with disabilities and their families require?
Some answers to Question 1: What is meant by the term diverse?
Being from one of these groups: African American (Black), Hispanic (Latino/a), Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska native.
Being from a culture different from “mainstream” America.
Speaking a language at home other than English.Whether accurate or not, considered a minority.
Some answers to Question 2: How does poverty put many culturally and linguistically diverse students at risk for low educational results and
having disabilities?
Poverty results in reduced access to health care.Diverse young children are less likely to attend
preschool.Poor children are more likely to be homeless or to
live a mobile or migrant life.Fewer poor children have computers at home.Schools attended by poor students have low
expectations, few resources, unqualified teachers, and a less demanding curriculum.
Some Answers to Question 3: What are the key features of multicultural education?
Students’ cultural backgrounds and traditions are integrated into the curriculum.
Students’ home cultures are respected and understood.Relevant and meaningful examples anchor instruction.Clashes between home and school cultures are
minimized.Culturally diverse family members and communities
feel included and welcome.All educators are culturally competent.
Some answers to Question 4: How can schools and teachers be more responsive to English language learners?
Be sensitive to the different patterns and rates of language acquisition.
Understand the differences between conversational and classroom English.
Encourage quick mastery of English through ESL, bilingual, and sheltered instruction.
Ensure meaningful communications and partnerships with families and communities.
Some answers to Question 5: What additional considerations do diverse students with disabilities and their families require?
All the components of multicultural education.Intensive assistance in learning English.Explicit instruction.Intensive efforts for family involvement.Application of validated practices.
